Law to promote the stability and growth of the economy

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Basic data
Title: Law to promote the stability and growth of the economy
Short title: Stability Act unofficial
Abbreviation: StabG
Type: Federal law
Scope: Federal Republic of Germany
Legal matter: Commercial administrative law
References : 707-3
Issued on: June 8, 1967
( BGBl. I p. 582 )
Entry into force on: June 14, 1967
Last change by: Art. 267 Regulation of August 31, 2015
( Federal Law Gazette I p. 1474, 1513 )
Effective date of the
last change: 		September 8, 2015
(Art. 627 of August 31, 2015)
Please note the note on the applicable legal version.

The law on the promotion of stability and growth of the economy (StabG) of 8 June 1967 not officially also Stability and Growth Act , or only Stability Act , outlines its national objective of macroeconomic equilibrium of Art. 109 para. 2 GG . It defines political instruments with which these goals are to be achieved. Since then, proposals for fundamental reforms of the law and a reorientation of the objectives have been put forward several times without success.

history

Ludwig Erhard as Minister of Economic Affairs, 1963
Karl Schiller , 1969

The reign of Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (1949–1963) and Ludwig Erhard (1963–1966) was characterized by a long-lasting economic upswing (also known as the “ economic miracle ”). Full employment prevailed from the late 1950s and growth rates of over four percent.

1966/67 stagnated for the first time after the Währungsreform 1948 the gross domestic product . The unemployment rate rose from full employment to over 2 percent. On December 1, 1966, the Kiesinger government , a grand coalition, took office. The new Economics Minister Karl Schiller (SPD), whose Keynesian thinking replaced the ordoliberal era of the former Economics Minister and Chancellor Ludwig Erhard, became a leading figure in German economic policy (see also Keynesianism in Germany ).

The term stability in the name of the law refers to the fact that steady economic growth is to be achieved without major economic fluctuations . This expresses the ideas of global control that dominated the economic policy discussion in the 1960s, according to which the state is able to compensate for economic fluctuations through the use of economic policy instruments. The systematic manipulation of these economic targets should economic policy towards to John Maynard Keynes oriented process policy shift.

Since then, several unsuccessful proposals for fundamental reforms of the law and for a realignment of the goals have been put forward, see section # Criticism of the Stability Law .

With the introduction of the European single market and the Stability and Growth Pact of the European Economic and Monetary Union , the German law has lost its importance. The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union includes in Art. 119 to ensure the goal of "stable prices, sound public finances and monetary conditions and a sustainable balance of payments". According to Article 3 of the EU Treaty, it “works towards the sustainable development of Europe based on balanced economic growth and price stability, a highly competitive social market economy aimed at full employment and social progress, and a high level of environmental protection and improvement the environmental quality. "

content

Magical square of economic policy

In its Paragraph 1, it defines macroeconomic goals that public budgets in Germany should consider when making decisions:

These goals are known as the magic square of economic policy. Indicators can be defined for each of these economic policy objectives .

Instruments of the StabG

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The StabG introduced the following instruments to respond to economic fluctuations:

  • the economic adjustment reserve : with it, part of the tax revenue is set aside in times of economic boom ; In phases of recession, these reserves are released and used for demand programs;
  • The economic surcharge : In times of economic boom, taxes are temporarily increased and in times of recession these monies are returned to taxpayers.

In addition, the medium-term financial planning was introduced and the financial planning council , in which the federal government, states and municipalities coordinate their spending plans.

In the concerted action, the government, trade unions, employers' associations, the Council of Experts and the Bundesbank discussed economic policy issues and tried to find consensus solutions. The concerted action failed at the end of the 1970s due to a dispute over employee participation .

Another coordination instrument based on the Stability Act is the Economic Council with representatives from the federal, state and local governments.

Criticism of the stability law

Since the Stability Act was passed, the macroeconomic goals of the Federal Republic of Germany defined there and the effect of the law have been criticized and controversially discussed. In the context of the debate, reform proposals were made or the replacement of the law by new laws called for. There is disagreement between proponents and critics of reform in particular on the following issues:

  • Targets and target weighting of the StabG
  • Conflicting goals
  • Indicator system
  • Coordination procedures and institutions

Another fundamental criticism of the effectiveness and therefore the sense of the StabG arises from the introduction of the European internal market and the Stability and Growth Pact of the European Economic and Monetary Union . As a result of these introductions, the German law has lost much of its importance.

Discussion about goals and goal weighting

One reason for the disagreement about the goals that the StabG should pursue is the disagreement about its intention.

Critics of reform see the StabG as an emergency instrument for economic fluctuations. The law is therefore intended to create a framework for action for a sub-area of economic policy, in which rapid economic policy measures are possible. The law should make it possible to shorten the period between the political decision and the entry into force of the measure in order to be able to act more quickly. The stabilization of the economy depends on speed. The implementation of economic policy measures within the framework of regular legislative procedures would, however, take several months.

In the opinion of the reform critics, the law accordingly makes no claim to a comprehensive and complete definition of all objectives of all economic policy action. The defined goals would only relate to a sub-area of macroeconomic economic policy and the focus of the StabG would be on its function as an accelerated implementation procedure.

For proponents of reform, the law plays a central role in the context of economic policy thought and action. It defines the macroeconomic catalog of objectives and thereby provides the framework for the debate on and evaluation of economic policy actions by the public , experts and politicians . In addition, the StabG provides for the simultaneous achievement of goals in a legal text. From the perspective of the reform proponents, this simultaneity will not be achieved by focusing on the growth target. This weighting also means that the growth goal comes to the fore in the debate, while social and ecological goals of equal rank are receded, so that economic policy decisions are primarily evaluated from the perspective of growth. An economic policy fixed on growth, however, leads to the exploitation and destruction of natural resources and thus the economic basis.

Proponents of reform therefore see the law less as an instrument for economic policy and much more as a target definition for economic policy action. Their point of view is reinforced by the fact that the instruments laid down in the law in the form of economic stimulus measures have not been used since the mid-1970s, although there were further recessions .

On the basis of this point of view, proponents of reform call for the goals formulated in the StabG to be expanded or for the goals to be redefined, which, based on the three-pillar model of sustainability , also include the goals of ecological and social sustainability. Suggested goals by the proponents include:

With the expansion or redefinition of the goals, you intend to initiate a change in the economic policy debate focus, so that aspects of ecological and social sustainability flow into the decision-making processes of political decision-makers, weighted equally with economic sustainability . Linked to this intention are the demands to rename the law into

  • Law for an ecological-social economy (promotion of the environmentally and socially compatible development of the economy - GösW)
  • Stability and Prosperity Law
  • Prosperity and Sustainability Act
  • Stability and Sustainability Act.

Reform critics see the demand for the legal anchoring of ecological and social sustainability in the face of the challenges of the current economic and political situation as justified. However, they are of the opinion that social and environmental inequalities cannot be eliminated through an accelerated implementation process. The associated goals of social and ecological sustainability can only be achieved in the long term and only after extensive discourse. They therefore propose to secure these goals through a regular legislative procedure and to leave the StabG in its current form. The reform critics also emphasize that the instruments set out in the StabG for an expansion of the canon of goals, as demanded by reform proponents, are completely inadequate.

Discussion about conflicting goals

The magic square , which is made up of the four objectives of the StabG, is assigned an implicit conflict of objectives. Not all goals can be achieved at the same time, as the development of the economic situation in the FRG in recent years has shown.

The countered economists that the trade-offs are not necessarily exist, but they would be through lack of cooperation of the money - / currency , fiscal and wage policies arise. They substantiate this with the thesis that, especially in the post-war decades , all target values ​​in Germany would have developed positively at the same time and that there were also phases in which many targets would have been violated at the same time, as in the two following decades of the oil price crises in 1974/75 and 1981 / 1983.

The proponents of reform also assume that the decision-makers do not design and communicate these conflicts and their target prioritization transparently enough. Achieving a high GDP and a high employment rate, for example, is in conflict with the conservation of natural resources if the decoupling of production and use of resources does not succeed. As long as economies are based on the use of natural resources and are not decoupled, it is essential to preserve these resources .

In response to the criticism that the StabG creates a conflict with regard to the use of natural resources that is not regulated by the law, the reform critics counter that the text of the law provides an implicit definition of economic sustainability that would already cover essential aspects of a holistic view of welfare . Proponents of reform emphasize that the understanding of sustainability has evolved since the StabG came into force and that it would not be sufficient to use the definition of economic sustainability as the basis for a holistic welfare view.

Discussion about the indicator system

The criticism of the indicator system is primarily directed against the use of the gross domestic product as an indicator for economic prosperity or the overall social welfare of the Federal Republic of Germany . This criticism is based on the fact that GDP only includes goods and services valued in monetary terms. Unpaid work, voluntary work or the individual gain in free time are not covered. Production-related adverse effects on the environment and human health, as well as the use of non-renewable raw material deposits, are not included as negative values ​​in the national product or growth calculation. Pursuing the quantitative goals of the StabG can consequently lead to a deterioration in social welfare.

For this reason, the reform proponents are calling for the indicator system to be expanded to include social and ecological aspects, such as the use of the W³ indicator set , which was presented in 2013 in the final report of the study commission for “Growth, Prosperity, Quality of Life” . This 10-part indicator set consists of GDP / capita, income distribution and national debt as indicators for material prosperity, the employment rate , educational qualifications , life expectancy and the World Bank indicator “Voice and Accountability” as indicators for social affairs and participation and the national surpluses Greenhouse gases and nitrogen , as well as the national bird index as indicators for ecology . The indicators mentioned serve as headline indicators in the draft, which are supplemented by a further eleven notice and warning indicators. These indicators are also intended to make the conflicting goals that arise in the context of political decisions more visible. Decision-makers are required to take a clear stance on the conflicting goals and their decisions. Proponents of reform hope that this will lead to a more diverse social debate.

The reform critics see in an expansion of the indicators to a multi-dimensional system consisting of guide, information and warning indicators, the risk that the results lose transparency, communicability, suitability for everyday use and validity. An expansion would create too high a complexity, restrict the law's ability to act and overload the StabG. In particular, the social indicator "Voice and Accountability" of the W3 indicator system is difficult to understand even for experts and requires considerable institutional, human and financial expenditure to record it.

Discussion about coordination procedures and institutions

Another point of criticism from proponents of reform are the coordination procedures and institutions of the StabG. These are inadequate, which would lead to ambiguity in the implementation of the law. For example, according to the law, current surplus services in Germany of around 9% would require actions that would not, however, be carried out. In the opinion of the reform proponents, both the Economic Council and the Expert Council for the assessment of macroeconomic development should be strengthened and expanded. You are therefore proposing to expand the Economic Council to include the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety , the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs , the Federal Environment Agency , the Federal Employment Agency , the German Federal Bank and the Federal Cartel Office . In their opinion, the Advisory Council should be increased by members from the field of environmental economics or environmental experts, or supplemented by a second Advisory Council dealing with ecological sustainability.

Historical outline of the economic policy debate

The arguments of reform proponents and critics can also be found in the history of the economic policy debate in the years from 1990 to today.

Draft law for an ecological-social economy (1990)

In 1990 members of the Bündnis90 / Die Grünen presented a draft law for an ecological-social economy (promotion of the environmentally and socially compatible development of the economy - GösW) , which should replace the StabG. They saw in the StabG the weighting of a growth-fixated economic policy, in which environmental policy only plays a subordinate role. Growth-fixated economic policy , so the argument goes, contributes significantly to the destruction of the environment and thus to the destruction of economic foundations. Since the modern ecological, economic and social challenges could not be solved on the basis of the StabG, they called for the law to be replaced. The new green-social economy law that you are proposing should help. The overarching goal is the greening of economic policy with the sub-goals: preservation or restoration of the ecological basis of economic activity ( ecological balance ) , gainful employment for everyone with equal participation of women and men , price level stabilization , external balance , more even distribution of income and wealth . In the context of this draft law for the macroeconomic goals, the goal of adequate and steady economic growth no longer applies.

No resolution was passed on this draft law.

Application to amend the StabG (1991)

In 1991 by the deputies of the SPD introduced a resolution to amend the Act to promote stability and the economy to the new environmental, social and economic demands presented this discrepancy established between the objectives of the law and the then current and foreseeable economic requirements of a modern state economic policy . They saw essential economic and socio-political goals, such as B. the protection of the environment and consumers, a fair distribution of wealth and income or the facilitation of structural change are not covered. In addition, they criticized in the application an overestimation of the growth target and the use of gross domestic product as an indicator. In their opinion, the | GDP should not be equated with economic prosperity or general social welfare , since it only includes goods and services valued in monetary terms. Unpaid work, voluntary work or the individual gain in free time are not covered . Production-related adverse effects on the environment and human health , as well as the use of non- renewable raw material deposits, are not included as negative values ​​in the national product or growth calculation. In addition, they see the consequences of the application of the law in the 1970s as showing the limits of the countercyclical economic policy measures laid down in the law . For these reasons, the members of the SPD are calling for an amendment to the StabG in the above-mentioned motion . The amendment should include an expansion of the existing catalog of objectives to include the macroeconomic and ecological objectives of maintaining and improving the natural foundations of life , facilitating economic structural change , reducing regional economic disparities , more even distribution of income and assets and preventive consumer protection . They are also calling for the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety , the Federal Ministry for Labor and Social Affairs , the Federal Environment Agency , the Federal Labor Office , the Deutsche Bundesbank and the Bundeskartellamt to strengthen and expand the Economic Council . This demand is based on the criticism that the coordination procedures and institutions specified in the Stability and Growth Act have proven to be inadequate and that economically relevant measures of the various federal ministries are not or only poorly coordinated with one another and therefore mutually weaken each other's effectiveness.

The SPD's application to amend the StabG was rejected in 1993.

Study Commission "Growth, Prosperity, Quality of Life" (2010-2013)

The criticism of GDP as an inadequate indicator of prosperity and progress became entrenched in the political debate. As a result of the global financial market crisis in 2009 , in particular, interest was no longer directed only towards the development and level of GDP, income and wealth , but also towards their unequal distribution. Unequal distribution of income and wealth was manifested as a cause of economic crises that could not be identified using GDP as an indicator. The goals of the StabG and thus the goals of the German economy could be adhered to and pursued and at the same time an economic crisis was caused.

At the request of the parliamentary groups of CDU / CSU , SPD, FDP and Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen , the study commission “Growth, Prosperity, Quality of Life - Paths to Sustainable Business and Social Progress in the Social Market Economy” was set up in 2010 .

The aim of the commission was to develop a catalog of indicators that would map prosperity and progress and, unlike GDP, should include social and ecological dimensions such as social inclusion , educational opportunities and environmental goods in addition to material values . In 2013, the study commission completed its work and presented a final report. In this final report, she stated, among other things, that economic growth is not a sufficient condition for prosperity and quality of life . Building on this, the commission developed the W³ indicators , a 10-part set of indicators for measuring material prosperity (GDP / capita, income distribution and national debt ), social / participation (employment, education, health and freedom) and ecology ( greenhouse gases , nitrogen and Biodiversity ). In its report, the Commission recommends that the Federal Government establish the W³ indicators as a new measure of prosperity and progress.

Study by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung on the development of a new socio-ecological regulatory framework (2012)

In 2012 the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung published a study on the development of a new socio-ecological regulatory framework, which was carried out by Sebastian Dullien from the University of Technology and Economics (HTW, Berlin) and Till van Treeck from the Institute for Macroeconomics and Business Cycle Research (IMK, Düsseldorf) had awarded.

The study had two goals. On the one hand, it should make the new regulatory framework transparent and understandable so that it is accessible to many people. At the same time, the elaboration should be so differentiated and manageable that a reorganization of economic policy is possible on this basis.

In this study, building on the basic condition that increasing overall social welfare should be the ultimate goal of all economic policy action, the initial situation of German economic policy and the position of the StabG were discussed and based on this, a new magical square was developed with the goals:

In particular, the authors criticize the reduction of the economic debate on the development of national debt . This reduction, which would result from anchoring the debt brake , means that other important issues are not sufficiently considered and discussed in advance of decisions. A focus on the state finances and the level of indebtedness in the FRG would mean that the necessary balances between different, sometimes contradicting economic, social and ecological dimensions of welfare would be prioritized in advance. A policy that concentrates on meeting the growth and deficit targets would appear more attractive, although it could result in damage to social and ecological areas. Building on this criticism, the authors develop the new magic square mentioned above as part of the study.

First review of the effectiveness and objectives of the StabG (2013-2015)

In 2013, the grand coalition of CDU / CSU and | SPD announced for the first time the review of the StabG in cooperation with the Advisory Council to assess macroeconomic developments . It should be examined whether the law, which was already in place for 50 years at the time, was still making a targeted contribution to positive economic development. In addition, the instruments' scope for action should be reviewed with regard to more current economic policy challenges such as demographic change , globalization , digitization and scarcity of resources.

In December 2015, the Council of Economic Experts published a report on this for review, stating that it saw no need for a reform of the StabG as a result of the review. The report summarizes in detail the discussion about reforming the law. He then addresses the original objective of the StabG, the instruments and their effectiveness, the historical experience with the application of the law and finally the possibility and necessity of a reform of the law.

In the report it is argued that the original intention of the StabG was not to lay down a comprehensive catalog of objectives for the entire economic policy , but that the main concern of the law was to create a framework to enable quick implementation of economic policy measures. An expansion of the catalog of goals would not make sense because the instruments are not useful to achieve social and ecological goals. An expansion of the instruments is also not practicable, since it is not possible to name concrete measures to achieve these goals. If one were to forego the expansion of the instruments, however, one would get a law whose goals and instruments are not coordinated with one another.

The report of the Advisory Council on the assessment of macroeconomic development and its arguments were controversially discussed after publication, among other things in the Wirtschaftsdienst , a German journal for economic policy. Contributors to the discussion (Henrike Michaelis, Steffen Elstner, Christoph M. Schmidt) and the authors of the study by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation on the development of a new socio-ecological regulatory framework ( Sebastian Dullien , Till van Treeck) were involved.

Web links

literature

  • Dieter Cassel, Jörg H. Thieme: Stability Policy . In: Vahlens Compendium of Economic Theory and Economic Policy . 3. Edition. tape 2 . Munich 1988, p. 292-362 .
  • Eckhard Stratmann-Mertens, Rudolf Hickel, Jan Priewe (eds.): Growth. Farewell to a dogma. Controversy about an ecological-social economic policy . S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 1991, ISBN 978-3-10-031408-6 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Stability Act / Concerted Action / Alliance for Work, Training and Competitiveness , concise dictionary of the political system of the Federal Republic of Germany of the Federal Agency for Civic Education .
  2. ^ A b Claus-Martin Gaul: Economic stimulus programs in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany: Classification and evaluation of global control from 1967 to 1982 , Info-Brief WD 5 - 3010 - 009/09, Scientific Services of the German Bundestag, 2009. P. 9– 10.
  3. ↑ Global control , Duden Economy from A to Z: Basic knowledge for school and study, work and everyday life. 6th edition Mannheim: Bibliographisches Institut 2016. Licensed edition Bonn: Federal Agency for Civic Education 2016.
  4. ↑ a b Gerold Schmidt: The EC internal market and the stability law. To repeal the “Law for the Promotion of Stability and Growth of the Economy” through the entry into force of the internal market . In: RIW . Vol. 39, 1993, pp. 921-928.
  5. ↑ a b c d Henrike Michaelis, Steffen Elstner, Christoph M. Schmidt: Review of the stability and growth law . In: Economic Service . tape 95 , no. December 12 , 2015, ISSN  0043-6275 , p. 830–836 , doi : 10.1007 / s10273-015-1910-z ( springer.com [accessed September 22, 2018]).
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Henrike Michaelis, Steffen Elstner, Christoph M. Schmidt, Peter Bofinger, Lars P. Feld, Isabel Schnabel, Volker Wieland: No need to reform the law to promote stability and economic growth . (PDF) In: Expert Council for the Assessment of Overall Economic Development. Expert council for the assessment of macroeconomic development, December 2015, pp. 1-3, 7-9, 13-15 , accessed on September 21, 2018 .
  7. ↑ a b c Review of the stability law: again, with feeling - a reply . In: Economic Service . S. 262–266 ( Wirtschaftsdienst.eu [accessed on September 21, 2018]).
  8. ↑ a b c d e f Sebastian Dullien, Till van Treeck: Arguments against the reform of the stability law not very convincing - a replica . In: Economic Service . tape 96 , no. 4 , April 2016, ISSN  0043-6275 , p. 258–264 , doi : 10.1007 / s10273-016-1967-3 ( springer.com [accessed September 21, 2018]).
  9. ↑ StabG - Act to promote the stability and growth of the economy. See § 1 , accessed on September 21, 2018 .
  10. ↑ a b c d e f g Prof. Dr. Sebastian Dullien, Dr. Till van Treeck: A new "magic square" Goals of a sustainable economic policy and considerations for a new "Stability and Prosperity Law". (PDF) In: Denkwerk Demokratie. Denkwerk Demokratie eV, October 2012, pp. 1, 4 f., 13 f., 18, 22 , accessed on September 21, 2018 .
  11. ↑ a b c d e Stratmann-Mertens, Dr. Daniels, Flinner, Garbe, Hüser, Kleinert, Dr. Knabe, Saibold, Vennegerts and the DIE GRÜNEN parliamentary group: Draft of a law for an ecological-social economy (promotion of the environmentally and socially compatible development of the economy - GösW). (PDF) In: DIP - Documentation and Information System of the Bundestag and Bundesrat. The German Bundestag, July 19, 1990, pp. 1 f., 5, 17 , accessed on September 21, 2018 .
  12. ↑ a b c d Dr. Uwe Jens, Wolfgang Roth, Harald B. Schäfer, Hans Berger, Hans Gottfried Bernrath, Ingrid Becker-Inglau, Dr. Ulrich Böhme, Lieselott Blunck, Hans Martin Bury, Anke Fuchs, Dr. Fritz Gautier, Dr. Ingomar Hauchler, Volker Jung, Dr. Klaus Kübler, Walter Kolbow, Dr. Elke Leonhard-Schmid, Herbert Meißner, Siegmar Mosdorf, Adolf Ostertag, Albert Pfuhl, Peter W. Reuschenbach, Ernst Schwanhold, Dr. Sigrid Skarpelis-Sperk, Dr. Dietrich Sperling, Dr. Peter Struck, Hans-Ulrich Klose and the parliamentary group of the SPD: Drucksache 12/1572 - Adaptation of the law to promote the stability and the growth of the economy to the new ecological, social and economic requirements. (PDF) In: DIP - Documentation and Information System of the Bundestag and Bundesrat. The German Bundestag, November 13, 1991, pp. 1-5 , accessed on September 21, 2018 .
  13. ↑ a b c d e f g Willi Koll: From the Stability and Growth Act to the Prosperity and Sustainability Act . In: Economic Service . tape 96 , no. 1 , January 2016, ISSN  0043-6275 , p. 40-48 , doi : 10.1007 / s10273-016-1923-2 ( springer.com [accessed September 21, 2018]).
  14. ↑ Reinhard Loske: Politics of future viability: contours of a sustainability turn . FISCHER E-Books, 2015, ISBN 978-3-10-403290-0 ( google.de [accessed on September 21, 2018]).
  15. ^ A b c d e Sebastian Dullien, Till van Treeck: Aims and conflicting goals of economic policy and approaches for a new socio-ecological regulatory framework. (PDF) In: Library of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung , November 2012, pp. 4, 6, 9,11,13 , accessed on September 21, 2018 .
  16. ↑ a b c d e f Study Commission "Growth, Prosperity, Quality of Life", Project Group 2: Printed matter 17/13300 - Final report of the Study Commission "Growth, Prosperity, Quality of Life - Paths to Sustainable Business and Social Progress in the Social Market Economy" . (PDF) In: DIP - joint documentation and information system of the Bundestag and Bundesrat. The German Bundestag, May 3, 2013, pp. 5, 21 f., 24 f., 28 ff., 189, 277 , accessed on September 21, 2018 .
  17. ↑ Expert advice on the assessment of the overall social development: Against a backward-looking economic policy - annual report 2013/2014. (PDF) In: Expert Council for the Assessment of Overall Society Development. Expert council to assess the development of society as a whole, November 2013, p. 480 f. , accessed on September 21, 2018 .
  18. ^ Eckhard Stratmann-Mertens, Rudolf Hickel, Jan Priewe (eds.): Growth. Farewell to a dogma. Controversy about an ecological-social economic policy . S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 1991, ISBN 978-3-10-031408-6 .
  19. ↑ The German Bundestag: Excerpt from DIP, the documentation and information system for parliamentary processes on the draft law for an ecological-social economy (promotion of the environmentally and socially compatible development of the economy - GösW). In: DIP documentation and information system for parliamentary processes. The Bundestag, accessed on September 21, 2018 .
  20. ↑ Dr. Rudolf Sprung: Recommendation for a resolution and report by the Economic Committee (9th Committee). (PDF) In: DIP - Documentation and Information System of the Bundestag and Bundesrat. The German Bundestag, September 10, 1993, accessed on September 21, 2018 .
  21. ↑ Volker Kauder, Dr. Hans-Peter Friedrich and parliamentary group, Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier and parliamentary group Birgit Homburger and parliamentary group, Renate Künast, Jürgen Trittin and parliamentary group: Drucksache 17/3853 - Application for the establishment of a study commission "Growth, prosperity, quality of life - Paths to sustainable business and social progress in the social market economy" . (PDF) In: DIP - Documentation and Information System of the Bundestag and Bundesrat. The German Bundestag, November 23, 2010, accessed on September 21, 2018 .
  22. ↑ Dr. Angela Merkel, Horst Seehofer, Sigmar Gabriel, Volker Kauder, Gerda Hasselfeldt, Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Hermann Gröhe, Alexander Dobrindt, Andrea Nahles: Shaping Germany's future - coalition agreement between CDU, CSU and SPD - 18th legislative period. (PDF) CDU Germany, CSU country line, SPD, December 16, 2013, p. 14 , accessed on September 21, 2018 .